Semiconductor device with fin isolation and method of forming the same

ABSTRACT

A fin strip is formed over a substrate using a hardmask. The fin strip includes a first portion and a second portion laterally adjoining the first portion. A BARC layer is formed to cover the fin strip over the substrate. A first etching operation is performed to remove a first portion of the BARC layer, so as to expose a portion of the hardmask where the first portion of the fin strip underlies. A coating layer is deposited over the portion of the hardmask and the BARC layer. A second etching operation is performed to remove a portion of the coating layer, the portion of the hardmask and a second portion of the BARC layer. A third etching operation is performed to remove the first portion of the fin strip and a remaining BARC layer, such that the second portion of the fin strip forms a plurality of semiconductor fins.

PRIORITY CLAIM AND CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/751,701, filed Oct. 28, 2018, which is herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

The semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) industry has experienced rapidgrowth. As the semiconductor industry continues on its path to improveits productivity and profitability, technological advances insemiconductor materials and IC designs have produced smaller and morecomplex circuits. These advanced materials and designs have beenrealized as the processing or manufacturing-related technologies andhave also advanced. In the course of semiconductor evolution, functionaldensity (defined as the number of interconnected devices per unit ofarea) has increased as the feature size has decreased. A scaling downprocess generally provides benefits by increasing production efficiencyand lowering associated costs. One of the developments is thereplacement or supplementation of a conventional planarmetal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor by a verticalfield-effect transistor. However, existing vertical field-effecttransistors have not been satisfactory in all aspects, and similardevelopments of tools and methods for improving the performance of thesemiconductor device are needed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Aspects of the present disclosure are best understood from the followingdetailed description when read with the accompanying figures. It isnoted that, in accordance with the standard practice in the industry,various features are not drawn to scale. In fact, the dimensions of thevarious features may be arbitrarily increased or reduced for clarity ofdiscussion.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are flow charts showing a method of forming asemiconductor device in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 through FIG. 20 are schematic views showing various intermediatestages of forming a semiconductor device in accordance with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 21 is a top cross-sectional view of the semiconductor device shownin FIG. 20 in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 22 is another top cross-sectional view of the semiconductor deviceshown in FIG. 20 in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 23 is another top cross-sectional view of the semiconductor deviceshown in FIG. 20 in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following disclosure provides many different embodiments, orexamples, for implementing different features of the provided subjectmatter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are describedbelow to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merelyexamples and are not intended to be limiting. For example, the formationof a first feature over or on a second feature in the description thatfollows may include embodiments in which the first and second featuresare formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in whichadditional features may be formed between the first and second features,such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. Inaddition, the present disclosure may repeat reference numerals and/orletters in the various examples. This repetition is for the purpose ofsimplicity and clarity and does not in itself dictate a relationshipbetween the various embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

The spatially relative terms are intended to encompass differentorientations of the device in use or operation in addition to theorientation depicted in the figures. The apparatus may be otherwiseoriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatiallyrelative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpretedaccordingly.

Fins may be patterned by any suitable method. For example, the fins maybe patterned using one or more photolithography processes, includingdouble-patterning or multi-patterning processes. Generally,double-patterning or multi-patterning processes combine photolithographyand self-aligned processes, allowing patterns to be created that have,for example, pitches smaller than what is otherwise obtainable using asingle, direct photolithography process. For example, in one embodiment,a sacrificial layer is formed over a substrate and patterned using aphotolithography process. Spacers are formed alongside the patternedsacrificial layer using a self-aligned process. The sacrificial layer isthen removed, and the remaining spacers may then be used to pattern thefins.

In a process of forming a semiconductor device such as a fin-like fieldeffect transistor (finFET), a fin formation process is quite critical toperformance of the semiconductor device. The fin formation processincludes a fin cut process that is usually performed for higherfunctional density and broader application of the semiconductor device.After fin strips are formed from a bulk substrate, portions of the finstrips may be removed by an etch operation of the fin cut process, so asto form plural fins having smaller lengths. A bottom anti reflectivecoating (BARC) layer is formed over the fin strips before the etchoperation, so as to reduce a loading effect caused by different widthsof pitches each of which is formed between two adjacent fin strips.However, the issue of the loading effect cannot be satisfactorilyresolved because of a lateral etch involved in the fin cut process. Thelateral etch accelerates the undesired removal of the BARC layer, andthe fin strip located on the leftmost or rightmost position among thefin strips, which is relatively more isolated than the other fin stripsformed therebetween (i.e. a dense region), bears a high risk of finloss. For example, a top view of two opposite end portions of the finmay have a rounded profile, leading to a gap formed between the fins anda subsequently formed (dummy) gate structure. A material for formingsource/drain structures is likely to be deposited into the gap during asource/drain region forming operation, which in turn leads to currentleakage of a semiconductor device. Furthermore, a higher contactresistance of the semiconductor device is also a problem of theconventional fin cut process because of the small process window for acontact landing process, in which the small process window is resultedfrom the undesired fin loss.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to providing asemiconductor device and a method for forming the semiconductor device.In some embodiments, a height difference between the BARC layer over aportion of the fin strips to be removed and the BARC layer over theother portion of the fin strips to be kept is provided to reduce theloading effect. Furthermore, a coating layer is additionally depositedover the BARC layer and the fin strips to slow down the lateral etch ofthe fin cut process. In addition, a vertical etching is dominantlyperformed in the fin cut process by adjusting process parameters of thefin cut process. Two end portions of each of the fins of thesemiconductor device may have a variety of profiles when viewed fromtops of the fins (i.e. the top profile), and the fins are overlappedwith the gate structures (such as gate electrodes) of the semiconductordevice. With the application of the method, larger process windows forthe fin formation process and the contact landing process are obtained,and better electrical properties, reliability and yield of thesemiconductor device can be achieved.

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are flow charts showing a method of forming asemiconductor device in accordance with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. FIG. 2 through FIG. 20 are schematic views showing variousintermediate stages of forming a semiconductor device in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure. Reference is made to FIG.1A. At operation 102, fin strips are formed on a substrate using ahardmask. Reference is made to FIG. 2, in some embodiments of theoperation 102, a substrate 200 with a hardmask 204 formed thereon isfirst provided. The substrate 200 may be a semiconductor substrate, suchas a bulk semiconductor, a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate,or the like. The substrate 200 may be a wafer, such as a silicon wafer.Generally, an SOI substrate includes a layer of a semiconductor materialformed on an insulator layer. The insulator layer may be, for example, aburied oxide (BOX) layer, a silicon oxide layer, or the like. Theinsulator layer is provided on a substrate, a silicon or glasssubstrate. Other substrates, such as a multi-layered or gradientsubstrate may also be used. In some embodiments, the semiconductormaterial of the substrate 200 may include silicon; germanium; a compoundsemiconductor including silicon carbide, gallium arsenic, galliumphosphide, indium phosphide, indium arsenide, and/or indium antimonide;an alloy semiconductor including SiGe, GaAsP, AlInAs, AlGaAs, GaInAs,GaInP, and/or GaInAsP; or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the hardmask 204 may be a single layer formed fromsilicon oxide. In some embodiments, the hardmask 204 is formed using,for example, a deposition operation such as low-pressure chemical vapordeposition (LPCVD) or plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD),followed by an etching operation using a photoresist layer (not shown)as a mask. Alternatively, the hardmask 204 may include a pad layer and amask layer over the pad layer (not shown). The pad layer may be a thinfilm including silicon oxide formed using, for example, a thermaloxidation process. The pad layer may act as an adhesion layer betweenthe substrate 200 and mask layer. The pad layer may also act as an etchstop layer for etching the mask layer using the photoresist layer as themask. In some embodiments, the mask layer is formed from siliconnitride, for example, by using LPCVD or PECVD.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, a portion of the substrate 200 is exposedfrom the hardmask 204, and is etched to form the fin strips 202A-202Fand trenches T1 and T2 between every two adjacent fin strips. The finstrips 202A-202F are substantially parallel to each other, and thetrenches T1 and T2 are substantially parallel to each other. A width ofeach of the trenches T1 is smaller than a width of the trench T2, inwhich a region with the trenches T1 between the fin strips 202A and202C, and a region with the trenches T1 between the fins strips 202D and202F are defined as dense regions A1, and a region with a relativelywider trench T2 (such as a region between the fins strips 202C and 202D)is defined as an isolation (iso) region A2. Typically, the fin strips202A, 202C, 202D and 202F near the iso region A2 may be etched fasterthan the other fin strips 202B and 202E at the dense regions A1 in asubsequent fin cut process. In some embodiments, each of the trenches T1has a width in a range from about 1 nm to about 100 nm. In someembodiments, the trench T2 has a width in a range from about 1 nm toabout 500 nm, and the trench T2 is wider than the trench T1. Thearrangements of the fin strips 202A-202F may be adjusted based ondesigns of the semiconductor device, and the scope of the presentdisclosure is not limited to the illustrated embodiments.

Reference is made to FIG. 1A again. At operation 104, a bottomanti-reflective coating (BARC) layer is formed over the substrate tocover the fin strips. Reference is made to FIG. 4. In some embodimentsof the operation 104, a BARC layer 206 fills the trenches T1 and T2, andis deposited over the hardmask 204. In some embodiments, the BARC layer206 may be deposited by physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapordeposition (CVD), spin-on coating or any other suitable depositionprocess. In some embodiments, the BARC layer 206 includes a polymercontaining silicon, oxygen and carbon, or silicon oxynitride. In someembodiments, the polymer containing silicon, oxygen and carbon may beformed from alkoxysilane monomer. The BARC layer 206 acts as asacrificial layer in the subsequent fin cut process.

Reference is made to FIG. 1A. At operation 106, patterned resists areformed over the BARC layer. Reference is made to FIG. 5. In someembodiments of the operation 106, patterned resists 208 are formed overthe BARC layer 206 and the patterned resists 208 perpendicularly crossesthe fin strips 202A-202F to cover first portions of the fin strips202A-202F. The first portions of the fin strips 202A-202F covered by thepatterned resists 208 will remain as plural semiconductor fins 203A-203F(FIG. 10) after the subsequent fin cut process is performed. Secondportions of the fin strips 202A-202F that are not covered by thepatterned resists 208 may be removed in the subsequent process. Thepatterned resists 208 may formed by the operations including depositinga resist layer, pre-baking the resist layer, exposing the resist layerto a light source, post-baking the resist layer and developing theresist layer. A width W1 of each of the patterned resists 208 isdetermined according to a width (or critical dimension) of a gatestructure that will be formed subsequently, and thus the width W1 ofeach of the patterned resists 208 may be adjusted based on requirementsof the semiconductor device. For example, a critical dimension of thegate structure may be greater than about 200 nm. In other embodiments,the critical dimension of the gate structure may be about 1 nm to about200 nm.

Reference is made to FIG. 1A. At operation 108, a first etchingoperation is performed to remove a first portion of the BARC layer.Reference is made to FIG. 6. In some embodiments of the operation 108,first portions of the BARC layer 206 are removed using the patternedresists 208 as a mask, and the first portions of the BARC layer 206 areremoved until portions of the hardmask 204 are exposed from the BARClayer 206. After the first etching operation, a height difference H1between a top surface of the BARC layer 206 in the dense region A1 thatis exposed from the patterned resists 208 and a top surface of the BARClayer 206 covered by the patterned resists 208 is in a range from about1 nm to about 500 nm. In addition, after the first etching operation, aheight difference H2 between a top surface of the BARC layer 206 in theiso region A2 that is exposed from the patterned resists 208 and a topsurface of the BARC layer 206 covered by the patterned resists 208 is ina range from about 1 nm to about 200 nm. The height differences H1 andH2 are designed for the subsequent fin cut process, in which the topsurfaces of the exposed BARC layer 206 on the dense region A1 and theiso region A2 are higher than top surfaces of the fin strips 202A-202Frespectively. In some embodiments, the height difference H1 is aboutequal to the height difference H2. In some embodiments, the heightdifference H1 is greater than the height difference H2. When the heightdifference H1 or H2 is smaller than 1 nm, fin losses may occur on thefirst portions of the fin strips 202A-202F (i.e. the portions covered bythe patterned resists 208) after the fin cut process. In contrast, whenthe height difference H1 is greater than 500 nm or the height differenceH2 is greater than 200 m, the second portions of the fin strips202A-202F (i.e. the portions that are not covered by the patternedresists 208) may be damaged when removing the hardmask 204 overlying thesecond portion of the fin strips 202A-202F, and the damages of thesecond portions of the fin strips 202A-202F may enhance the loadingeffect. In some embodiments, the first etching operation is performed,for example, under a bias in a range from about 0 V to about 5000V, atemperature of about 0° C. to about 100° C. and a pressure greater thanabout 0 mtorr to about 5000 mtorr, using SiCl₄, CH₄, CH₂F₂, CF₄, SF₆,SO₂, O₂, CHF₃, CH₃F, HBr, NF₃, Cl₂ or any combinations thereof as anetchant, in which N₂, Ar, or He may be used as a carrier gas. In someembodiments, the first etching operation is performed for greater thanabout 0 seconds and equal to or less than about 2000 seconds, so as toachieve the desired height differences. Basically, the BARC layer 206 onthe dense region A1 and the iso region A2 are etched simultaneouslyusing the same first etching operation. However, the etchant may remainin the trenches T1 having a higher aspect ratio and is not easy to beremoved. The remaining etchant in the trenches T1 may cause the BARClayer 206 in the trenches T1 to be etched more deeply, leading to adifference between the height differences H1 and H2. After the firstetching operation, the patterned resists 208 may be removed by a typicalstrip operation. In some embodiments, the BARC layer 206 overlying thefirst portions of the fin strips 202A-202F may have a widthsubstantially same as the width W1 of the patterned resists 208 (FIG.5). That is, the BARC layer 206 overlying the first portions of the finstrips 202A-202F remains substantially intact after the first etchingoperation.

Reference is made to FIG. 1A. At operation 110, a coating layer isdeposited over the BARC layer and the hardmask layer. Reference is madeto FIG. 7, in some embodiments of the operation 110, a coating layer 210is conformally deposited over the BARC layer 206 and the exposed portionof the hardmask 204. The coating layer 210 has vertical portions 210Aand lateral portions 210B adjoining the vertical portions 210A. Avertical etching operation is dominant in the subsequent fin cutprocess, and thus the lateral portions 210B are etched at a higher etchrate than the vertical portion 210A. In addition, the fin cut processhas a higher etching selectivity of the BARC layer 206 with respect tothe coating layer 210, and thus the coating layer 210 can effectivelyreduce an etching rate of the lateral etching of the fin cut process. Insome embodiments, the coating layer 210 has a thickness in a range fromabout 1 nm to about 100 nm. When the thickness of the coating layer 210is smaller than 1 nm, an etching rate of the lateral etching cannot beeffectively reduced. On the other hand, when the thickness of thecoating layer 210 is greater than about 100 nm, the second portions ofthe fin strips 202A-202F cannot be precisely removed because the thickcoating layer 210 is likely to block some of the second portions of thefin strips 202A-202F adjoining the first portions of the fin strips202A-202F.

In some embodiments, the coating layer 210 may be formed from a mixtureof one or more carbohydrate polymers (e.g. C_(x)H_(y)O_(z), where x, yand z are respectively greater than 0 and equal to or smaller than about100) and one or more silicon halides (SiX_(w), or SiX_(w)Y_(u), where Xand Y respectively represent chlorine or fluorine, and w and u arerespectively greater than 0 and equal to or smaller than about 100). Forexample, the coating layer 210 may be formed by forming the carbohydratepolymers and the silicon halides simultaneously in a reaction chamberand depositing the carbohydrate polymers and the silicon halides overthe BARC layer 206 and the hardmask 204. In some embodiments, thecarbohydrate polymer may be formed by introducing an alkyl precursor andan oxygen precursor into a reaction chamber, and the precursors arereacted to form the carbohydrate polymers. In some embodiments, thealkyl precursor may include, but is not limited to CH₄, CHF₃, C_(x)F_(y)or a combination thereof, where x>0 and y>0. In some embodiments, theoxygen precursor may be oxygen, oxygen radicals, oxygen ions or acombination thereof. In some embodiments, a carrier gas such as N₂ or Armay be further applied when the precursors flow into the reactionchamber. For example, the silicon halide may be formed by introducing asilicon halide precursor and a chlorine precursor into the same reactionchamber where the carbohydrate polymer is formed, and the precursors arereacted to form the silicon halide. The silicon halide precursor mayinclude, but is not limited to SiCl₄, SiF₆, or a combination thereof.The chlorine precursor may be Cl₂. In some embodiments, the flowrates ofthe alkyl precursor, the oxygen precursor, the silicon halide precursorand the chlorine precursor may be greater than 0 to 2000 sccm,respectively. Within the ratio of the flowrates of the precursors, theformed coating layer 210 provides sufficient protection to the verticalportion of the BARC layer 206 and reduces the etching rate of thelateral etching operation. In some embodiments, the coating layer 210may be deposited by PECVD, high density plasma CVD (HDPCVD) or any othersuitable deposition process. In some embodiments, the coating layer 210may be deposited by PECVD under a bias of about 0 V to about 5000V, apressure of about 0 mtorr to about 5000 mtorr and a temperature in arange from about 0° C. to about 300° C., so as to achieve a properdegree of polymerization and a proper thickness.

Reference is made to FIG. 1A. At operation 112, the lateral portion ofthe coating layer, a second portion of the BARC layer and the exposedportion of the hardmask are removed, thereby exposing portions of thefin strips. Reference is made to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in some embodimentsof the operation 112, the lateral portions 210B of the coating layer210, the exposed portion of the hardmask 204, and second portions of theBARC layer 206 are removed by a second etching operation, such that thesecond portions of the fin strips 202A-202F is exposed. A verticaletching is dominantly performed in the second etching operation, suchthat the lateral portions 210B are etched faster than the verticalportions 210A. Therefore, the vertical portion 210A of the coating layer210 is substantially not etched or merely a small amount of the verticalportion 210A is etched in the second etching operation. For realizingthe vertical etching, a bias voltage in a range from about 0 V to about5000V may be applied in the second etching operation. In someembodiments, an etchant of the second etching operation may includeSiCl₄, CH₄, CH₂F₂, CF₄, SF₆, SO₂, O₂, CHF₃, CH₃F, HBr, NF₃, Cl₂ or anycombinations thereof as an etchant, in which N₂, Ar, or He may be usedas a carrier gas. In some embodiments, the second etching operation maybe performed, for example, under a temperature of about 0° C. to about100° C. and a pressure greater than about 0 mtorr and equal to orsmaller than about 5000 mtorr, for greater than about 0 seconds andequal to or smaller than about 2000 seconds, so as to completely removethe hardmask 204 but cause no fin loss or merely a small amount of finloss. In the second etching operation, the bias voltage may be greaterthan that of the first etching operation, such that the vertical etchingoperation is dominantly performed, and the etching rate can alsoincrease. In other embodiments, a ratio of the flowrate of the etchantto the flowrate of the carrier gas may increase in the second etchingoperation, such that the hardmask 204 can be removed. In some stillother embodiments, the pressure in the second etching operation may begreater than that in the first etching operation, so as to remove thehardmask 204. After the second etching operation, the top surface of therecessed portion of the BARC layer 206 is lower than the top surface ofthe fin strips 202A-202F, and the first portions of the fin strips202A-202F is still enclosed by the BARC layer 206. In some embodiments,after the second etching operation, the BARC layer 206 overlying thefirst portions of the fin strips 202A-202F may have the width W1substantially equal to the width W1 of the BARC layer 206 formed afterthe first etching operation. That is, the BARC layer 206 overlying thefirst portions of the fin strips 202A-202F remains substantially intactafter the second etching operation.

Reference is made to FIG. 1A. At operation 114, the portions of the finstrips and the BARC layer are removed to form fins. Reference is made toFIG. 9 and FIG. 10. FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are 3-D views showingintermediate stages of a fin cut process. In some embodiments of theoperation 114, the fin cut process at least includes a third etchingoperation and an ash operation. The second portions of the fin strips202A-202F and the BARC layer 206 are removed by a third etchingoperation, thereby forming plural semiconductor fins 203A-203F. Avertical etching is dominantly performed in the third etching operation.Therefore, the vertical portion 210A of the coating layer 210 is etchedat a lower etching rate than the BARC layer 206 and the second portionsof the fin strips 202A-202F. Furthermore, the vertical etching isadvantageous to removing the BARC layer 206 enclosing the first portionsof the fin strips 202A-202F while avoiding damages of the first portionsof the fin strips 202A-202F (i.e. the semiconductor fins 203A-203F). InFIG. 9, the BARC layer 206 and the fins strips 202A-202F are graduallyremoved during the third etching operation. The BARC layer 206 enclosingthe first portions of the fin strips 202A-202F is vertically etched whenthe second portion of the fin strips 202A-202F is etched. The firstportions of the fin strips 202A-202F remains substantially unetchedbecause of the vertical etching and the protection of the overlyinghardmask 204, even if the BARC layer 206 overlying the first portions ofthe fin strips 202A-202F are removed. For realizing the verticaletching, a bias voltage in a range from about 0 V to about 5000V may beapplied in the third etching operation. In some embodiments, an etchantof the third etching operation may SiCl₄, CH₄, CH₂F₂, CF₄, SF₆, SO₂, O₂,CHF₃, CH₃F, HBr, NF₃, Cl₂ or any combinations thereof as an etchant, inwhich N₂, Ar, or He may be used as a carrier gas. In some embodiments,the third etching operation may be performed under a temperature ofabout 0° C. to about 100° C. and a pressure greater than about 0 mtorrand equal to or smaller than about 5000 mtorr, for greater than about 0seconds and equal to or smaller than about 2000 seconds, so as to removethe second portions of the fin strips 202A-202F and the BARC layer 206without harming the fins 203A-203F. In some embodiments, the sameprocess parameters are applied in the second and the third etchingoperations. In other embodiments, the bias voltage of the third may besmaller than that of the second etching operation for a proper etchingselectivity. For example, the bias voltage of the third etchingoperation may be equal to or greater than that of the first etchingoperation. In other embodiments, a ratio of the flowrate of the etchantto the flowrate of the carrier gas may be smaller than the ratio of thesecond etching operation. In some still other embodiments, the pressurein the third etching operation may be smaller than that in the secondetching operation, so as to realize a desire etching selectivity.

In some embodiments, after the third etching operation, an ash operationis optionally performed at a temperature of about 0° C. to about 100° C.for about 0 seconds to about 2000 seconds, so as to remove byproducts ofthe third etching operation. In some embodiments, the same etchant asthat of the third etching operation is used in the ash operation while aflowrate of O₂ in the ash operation is greater than that in the thirdetching operation. For example, the byproduct may be polymers formedfrom the etched second portions of the fin strips 202A-202F. Thebyproduct may accumulate in the trenches T1, and reduce the efficiencyof the third etching operation, especially when the trenches T1 have agreater aspect ratio. Therefore, performing the ash operation canfurther improve the efficiency of the third etching operation.

FIG. 10 shows an intermediate stage after the third etching operation isfinished. In FIG. 10, a small part of the second portions of the finstrips 202A-202F remains as protrusions 205. In some embodiments, eachof the protrusions 205 has a thickness equal to or smaller than 5 nm.When the thickness of the protrusions 205 is greater than 5 nm, a dummygate electrode may be unevenly deposited in the subsequent process,causing different loading when the dummy gate electrode is replaced witha gate electrode layer. Optionally, a liner layer (not shown) may beconformally deposited to cover the fins 203A-203F over the substrate200.

Reference is made to FIG. 1B. At operation 116, trench isolations areformed in the trenches between two of the fins. Reference is made toFIG. 10, FIG. 11, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13A. In some embodiments of theoperation 116, trench isolations 212 are formed in the trenches T1 andT2. First, isolation dielectric 211 overfills the trenches T1 and T2 tocover the semiconductor fins 203A-203F and hardmask 204 over thesubstrate 200. In some embodiments, the isolation dielectric 211 is madeof silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, fluoride-dopedsilicate glass (FSG), or other low-K dielectric materials. In someembodiments, the isolation dielectric 211 may be formed using ahigh-density-plasma (HDP) chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, usingsilane (SiH₄) and oxygen (O₂) as reacting precursors. In someembodiments, the isolation dielectric 211 may be formed using asub-atmospheric CVD (SACVD) process or high aspect-ratio process (HARP),wherein process gases may comprise tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) andozone (O₃). In yet other embodiments, the isolation dielectric 211 maybe formed using a spin-on-dielectric (SOD) process, such as hydrogensilsesquioxane (HSQ) or methyl silsesquioxane (MSQ). Other processes andmaterials may be used. In some embodiments, the isolation dielectric 211can have a multi-layer structure, for example, a thermal oxide linerlayer with silicon nitride formed over the liner. Thereafter, a thermalannealing may be optionally performed to the isolation dielectric 211.

Next, as shown in FIG. 12, a planarization process such as chemicalmechanical polish (CMP) is then performed to remove the excess isolationdielectric 211 outside the trenches T1 and T2. In some embodiments, theplanarization process may also remove the hardmask 204 such that topsurfaces of the semiconductor fins 203A-203F are exposed. In someembodiments, the planarization process stops when the hardmask 204 isexposed. In such embodiments, the hardmask 204 may act as the CMP stoplayer in the planarization. If the hardmask 204 is not removed by theplanarization process, it may be removed using diluted HF.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13A, the isolation dielectric 211 is recessed toform the trench isolations 212. For example, the recession of theisolation dielectric 211 is performed by an etching operation, in whichdiluted HF, SiCoNi (including HF and NH₃), or the like, may be used asthe etchant. After recessing the isolation dielectric 211, a portion ofthe semiconductor fins 203A-203F is higher than a top surface of thetrench isolations 212, and hence this portion of the semiconductor fins203A-203F protrudes above the trench isolations 212. In the embodimentswhere the liner layer covers the fins 203A-203F, recessing the isolationdielectric 211 further includes removing a portion of the liner layer onsidewalls of an upper portion of the semiconductor fins 203A-203F.

FIG. 13B through FIG. 13F are enlarged top views of end portions of thesemiconductor fins 203A-203F of FIG. 13A, in which a variety of topprofiles of the end portions of the semiconductor fins 203A-203F may beformed by the fin cut process. The end portions of each of thesemiconductor fins 203A-203E are similar to circled portions 300labelled on the fin 203F. In some embodiments, a top profile of each endportion of each of the semiconductor fins 203A-203F may be square, asshown in FIG. 13B. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13C and FIG.13D, a top profile of each end portion of the semiconductor fins 203A,203C, 203D and 203F which are adjacent to the iso region (e.g. isoregion A2 of FIG. 6) may have two straight portions 205A and 205B, and aconnection portion 205C or 205D connecting the straight portion 205A tothe straight portion 205B. In some embodiments, the connection portion205C is a filleted corner 205C, and an included angle Θ1 is defined bythe straight portion 205A and a dummy line 206, in which the dummy lime206 is formed by connecting end points of the straight portions 205A and205B, as shown in FIG. 13C. In some embodiments, the connection portion205D is a leg 205D of a trapezoid, and an included angle Θ2 may bedefined by the leg 205D and the straight portion 205A, as shown in FIG.13D. In some embodiments, the straight portion 205A may have a length L1greater than or equal to about 5 Å. In some embodiments, the straightportion 205A may have the length L1 greater than or equal to at leastabout 100 Å. In the embodiments of FIG. 13C and FIG. 13D, a slope of thedummy line 206 or the leg 205D may increase due to different processparameters of the etching operation, and the portion of thesemiconductor fin overlapped with the subsequent formed gate structuremay decrease with the increase of the slope. In some embodiments, theincluded angles Θ1 and Θ2 may respectively be equal to or greater than60°. When the length L1 of the straight portion 205A is smaller than 5 Åor the included angle Θ1 is smaller than 60°, the semiconductor fins203A, 203C, 203D and 203F are not able to overlap the subsequentlyformed dummy gate structures, and the current leakage or the highercontact resistance may occur. In some embodiments, a top profile of eachend portion of the semiconductor fin 203A, 203C, 203D and 203F may havea re-entrant angle 207, as shown in FIG. 13E. In some embodiments, a topprofile of each end portion of the semiconductor fins 203A, 203C, 203Dand 203F may have a recessed arc portion, as shown in FIG. 13F. Otherembodiments of the present disclosure may also include other topprofiles of the two end portions of the semiconductor fins 203A-203F, aslong as the semiconductor fins 203A-203F are able to overlap with thesubsequently formed (dummy) gate structure.

It is understood that the processes described above are some examples ofhow semiconductor fins 203A-203F and the trench isolations 212 areformed. In other embodiments, a dielectric layer can be formed over atop surface of the substrate 200; trenches can be etched through thedielectric layer; homoepitaxial structures can be epitaxially grown inthe trenches; and the dielectric layer can be recessed such that thehomoepitaxial structures protrude from the dielectric layer to formfins. In still other embodiments, heteroepitaxial structures can be usedfor the fins. For example, at least one of the semiconductor fins203A-203F can be recessed, and a material different from the recessedsemiconductor fin 203A-203F may be epitaxially grown in its place. Ineven further embodiments, a dielectric layer can be formed over a topsurface of the substrate 200; trenches can be etched through thedielectric layer; heteroepitaxial structures can be epitaxially grown inthe trenches using a material different from the substrate 200; and thedielectric layer can be recessed such that the heteroepitaxialstructures protrude from the dielectric layer to form fins. In someembodiments where homoepitaxial or heteroepitaxial structures areepitaxially grown, the grown materials may be in situ doped duringgrowth, which may obviate prior implanting of the fins although in situand implantation doping may be used together. In some embodiments, atleast one of the semiconductor fins 203A-203F may include silicongermanium (Si_(x)Ge_(1-x), where x can be between approximately 0 and100), silicon carbide, pure or substantially pure germanium, a III-Vcompound semiconductor, a II-VI compound semiconductor, or the like. Forexample, the available materials for forming III-V compoundsemiconductor include, but are not limited to, InAs, AlAs, GaAs, InP,GaN, InGaAs, InAlAs, GaSb, AlSb, AlP, GaP, and the like.

Reference is made to FIG. 1B. At operation 118, a dielectric layer isdeposited over the trench isolation and the semiconductor fins.Reference is made to and FIG. 14. In some embodiments of the operation118, a dielectric layer 214 is blanket deposited to cover thesemiconductor fins 203A-203F and the trench isolations 212. In someembodiments, the dielectric layer 214 is made of high-k dielectricmaterials, such as metal oxides, transition metal-oxides, or the like.Examples of the high-k dielectric material include, but are not limitedto, hafnium oxide (HfO₂), hafnium silicon oxide (HfSiO), hafniumtantalum oxide (HMO), hafnium titanium oxide (HfTiO), hafnium zirconiumoxide (HfZrO), zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, hafniumdioxide-alumina (HfO₂—Al₂O₃) alloy, or other applicable dielectricmaterials. In some embodiments, the dielectric layer 214 is an oxidelayer. The dielectric layer 214 may be formed by a deposition processes,such as chemical vapor deposition (CVD), physical vapor deposition(PVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), plasma enhanced CVD (PECVD) orother suitable techniques. In some embodiments, a thickness of thedielectric layer 214 may be in a range from greater than 0 nm to about100 nm, so as to provide sufficient insulating property.

Reference is made to FIG. 1B. At operation 120, dummy gate electrodesare formed crossing the semiconductor fins. Reference is made to FIG.15. In some embodiments of the operation 120, dummy gate electrodes 216are formed over the dielectric layer 214. In some embodiments, the dummygate electrodes 216 may include polycrystalline-silicon (poly-Si),poly-crystalline silicon-germanium (poly-SiGe), metallic nitrides,metallic silicides, metallic oxides, or metals. In some embodiments, thedummy gate electrodes 216 includes a metal-containing material such asTiN, TaN, TaC, Co, Ru, Al, combinations thereof, or multi-layersthereof. A material of the dummy gate electrodes 216 may be deposited byCVD, physical vapor deposition (PVD), sputter deposition, or othertechniques suitable for depositing conductive materials. Then, thematerial of the dummy gate electrodes 216 is patterned to form the dummygate electrodes 216 wrapping the semiconductor fins 203A-203F (FIG. 14)in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the materialof the dummy gate electrodes 216 is etched using a mask overlying aportion of the material of the dummy gate electrodes 216, and theetching operation stops at the dielectric layer 214. That is, thedielectric layer 214 remains substantially unetched after the materialof the dummy gate electrodes 216 is patterned, as shown in FIG. 15.

Reference is made to FIG. 1B. At operation 122, gate spacers are formedon sidewalls of each of the dummy gate electrodes. Reference is made toFIG. 16A and FIG. 16B. FIG. 16B is a cross sectional view viewed along acut line A-A′ of FIG. 16A. In some embodiments of the operation 122,gate spacers 218 are formed on two opposite sidewalls of the dummy gateelectrodes 216 and overlying the dielectric layer 214. The dielectriclayer 214 underlying the gate spacers 218 may provide better insulatingproperty to the semiconductor device. In some embodiments, the gatespacers 218 may include silicon oxide, silicon nitride, siliconoxynitride, silicon carbide, silicon carbonitride, siliconoxycarbonitride, silicon oxycarbide, porous dielectric materials,hydrogen doped silicon oxycarbide (SiOC:H), low-k dielectric materialsor other suitable dielectric material. The gate spacers 218 may includea single layer or multilayer structure made of different dielectricmaterials. The method of forming the gate spacers 218 includes blanketforming a dielectric layer on the structure shown in FIG. 15 using, forexample, CVD, PVD or ALD, and then performing an etching process such asanisotropic etching to remove horizontal portions of the dielectriclayer. The remaining portions of the dielectric layer on sidewalls ofthe dummy gate electrodes 216 can serve as the gate spacers 218. In someembodiments, the gate spacers 218 may be used to offset subsequentlyformed doped regions, such as source/drain regions. The gate spacers 218may further be used for designing or modifying the source/drain regionprofile.

Reference is made to FIG. 1B. At operation 124, source/drain structuresare formed between two of the dummy gate electrodes. Reference is madeto FIG. 17 and FIG. 18. FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are cross-sectional viewsshowing intermediate stages for forming source/drain structure on thestructure of FIG. 16B. In some embodiments of the operation 124,source/drain structures 230 are formed between two of the dummy gateelectrodes 216 by the following operations. As shown in FIG. 17,portions of the dielectric layer 214 and the semiconductor fins203A-203F not covered by the dummy gate electrodes 216 and the gatespacers 218 are respectively and partially removed (or recessed) to formrecesses 220. Each of the remaining semiconductor fins 203A-203F mayhave a protruding portion 222 and embedded portions 224 after thisremoval. The embedded portions 224 are embedded in the trench isolations212 (FIG. 16A), and the embedded portions 224 are exposed by therecesses 220. The protruding portion 222 protrudes from the embeddedportions 224 and is located between the recesses 220. The dummy gateelectrodes 216 wrap the protruding portions 222, and hence theprotruding portions 222 can act as channel regions of transistors. Theembedded portions 224 spaced apart from the dummy gate electrodes 216can act as source/drain regions of transistors.

Formation of the recesses 220 may include a dry etching process, a wetetching process, or combination dry and wet etching processes. Thisetching process may include reactive ion etch (RIE) using the dummy gateelectrodes 216 and the gate spacers 218 as masks, or by any othersuitable removal process. In some embodiments, the portions of thedielectric layer 214 and the semiconductor fins 203A-203F may be removedby an etching operation performed, for example, under a pressure ofabout 1 mTorr to 1000 mTorr, a power of about 10 W to 1000 W, a biasvoltage of about 20 V to 500 V, at a temperature of about 40° C. to 60°C., using a HBr and/or Cl₂ as etch gases. After the etching operation, apre-cleaning process may be performed to clean the recesses 220 withhydrofluoric acid (HF) or other suitable solution in some embodiments.

Next, as shown in FIG. 18, source/drain structures 230 are respectivelyformed in the recesses 220. The source/drain structures 230 may beformed using one or more epitaxy or epitaxial (epi) processes, such thatSi features, SiGe features, silicon phosphate (SIP) features, siliconcarbide (SiC) features and/or other suitable features can be formed in acrystalline state on the embedded portions 224 of the semiconductor fins203A-203F. In some embodiments, lattice constants of the epitaxialsource/drain structures 230 are different from that of the semiconductorfins 203A-203F, so that the channel region between the source/drainstructures 230 can be strained or stressed by the source/drainstructures 230 to improve carrier mobility of the semiconductor deviceand enhance the device performance.

Specifically, the electron mobility increases and the hole mobilitydecreases when the tensile strain is applied in the channel region, andthe electron mobility decreases and the hole mobility increases when thecompress strain is applied in the channel region. Therefore, an n-typetransistor with a stressor configured to provide tensile strain in thechannel region would be beneficial, and a p-type transistor with astressor configured to provide compress strain in the channel regionwould be beneficial as well. For example, in some embodiments where twosource/drain structures 230 are used to form an n-type transistor, thesource/drain structures 230 can act as stressors including, for example,SiP, SiC or SiCP, which is able to induce tensile strain to an n-typechannel; in some embodiments where two source/drain structures 230 areused to form a p-type transistor, the source/drain structures 230 mayinclude stressors including SiGe, which is able to induce compressstrain to a p-type channel.

The epitaxy processes include CVD deposition techniques (e.g.,vapor-phase epitaxy (VPE) and/or ultra-high vacuum CVD (UHV-CVD)),molecular beam epitaxy, and/or other suitable processes. The epitaxyprocess may use gaseous and/or liquid precursors, which interact withthe composition of the semiconductor fins 203A-203F (e.g., silicon,silicon germanium, silicon phosphate, or the like). The source/drainstructures 230 may be in-situ doped. The doping species include p-typedopants, such as boron or BF₂; n-type dopants, such as phosphorus orarsenic; and/or other suitable dopants including combinations thereof.If the epitaxial source/drain structures 230 are not in-situ doped, asecond implantation process (i.e., a junction implant process) isperformed to dope the epitaxial source/drain structures 230. One or moreannealing processes may be performed to activate the source/drainstructures 230. The annealing processes include rapid thermal annealing(RTA) and/or laser annealing processes.

In some embodiments, after the formation of the source/drain structures230, a contact etch stop layer (CESL, not shown) may be blanket formedon the structure shown in FIG. 18. Reference is made to FIG. 1B. Atoperation 126, an interlayer dielectric (ILD) layer is deposited overthe dummy gate electrodes and the source/drain structures. As shown inFIG. 19, in some embodiments of the operation 126, an ILD layer 232 isformed over the dummy gate electrodes 216, the gate spacers 218 and thesource/drain structures 230 (FIG. 18). Afterwards, a CMP process may beoptionally performed to remove excessive material of the ILD layer 232to expose the dummy gate electrodes 216. The CMP process may planarize atop surface of the ILD layer 232 with top surfaces of the dummy gateelectrodes 216 and the gate spacers 218 in some embodiments. In someembodiments, the ILD layer 232 may include silicon oxide, siliconnitride, silicon oxynitride, tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), phosphosilicateglass (PSG), borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG), low-k dielectricmaterial, and/or other suitable dielectric materials. Examples of low-kdielectric materials include, but are not limited to, fluorinated silicaglass (FSG), carbon doped silicon oxide, amorphous fluorinated carbon,parylene, bis-benzocyclobutenes (BCB), or polyimide. The ILD layer 232may be formed using, for example, CVD, ALD, spin-on-glass (SOG) or othersuitable techniques.

Reference is made to FIG. 1B. At operation 128, the dummy gateelectrodes are replaced with gate structures. Reference is made to FIG.19. The dummy gate electrodes 216 are replaced with gate structures 240,thereby forming a semiconductor device 250. In some embodiments,replacing the dummy gate electrodes 216 includes removal of remainingdummy gate electrodes 216. For example, dummy gate electrodes 216 areremoved to form gate trenches with the gate spacers 218 as theirsidewalls. In some embodiments, the dummy gate electrodes 216 areremoved by performing a first etching process. In some embodiments, thedummy gate electrodes 216 are mainly removed by a dry etching process.In some embodiments, the dry etching process includes using an etchinggas such as CF₄, Ar, NF₃, Cl₂, He, HBr, O₂, N₂, CH₃F, CH₄, CH₂F₂, orcombinations thereof. In some embodiments, the dry etching process isperformed at a temperature in a range from about 20° C. to about 80° C.In some embodiments, the dry etching process is performed at a pressurein a range from about 1 mTorr to about 100 mTorr. In some embodiments,the dry etching process is performed at a power in a range from about 50W to about 1500 W. In some embodiments, the dummy gate electrodes 216 isremoved, and the dielectric layer 214 underlying the dummy gateelectrodes 216 remains in the gate trenches.

Then, the gate structures 240 are formed in the gate trenches. Exemplarymethod of forming these gate structures 240 may include blanket forminga layer of gate dielectric 242 in the gate trenches, forming one or morework function layers 244 over the blanket gate dielectric layer 242,forming a conductive layer 246 over the one or more work function layers244, and performing a CMP process to remove excessive materials of theconductive layer 246, the work function layer(s) 244 and the gatedielectric 242 outside the gate trenches.

In some embodiments, the gate dielectric 242 may include, for example, ahigh-k dielectric material such as metal oxides, metal nitrides, metalsilicates, transition metal-oxides, transition metal-nitrides,transition metal-silicates, oxynitrides of metals, metal aluminates,zirconium silicate, zirconium aluminate, or combinations thereof. Insome embodiments, the gate dielectric 242 may include hafnium oxide(HfO₂), hafnium silicon oxide (HfSiO), hafnium silicon oxynitride(HfSiON), hafnium tantalum oxide (HfTaO), hafnium titanium oxide(HfTiO), hafnium zirconium oxide (HfZrO), lanthanum oxide (LaO),zirconium oxide (ZrO), titanium oxide (TiO), tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅),yttrium oxide (Y₂O₃), strontium titanium oxide (SrTiO₃, STO), bariumtitanium oxide (BaTiO₃, BTO), barium zirconium oxide (BaZrO), hafniumlanthanum oxide (HfLaO), lanthanum silicon oxide (LaSiO), aluminumsilicon oxide (AlSiO), aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃), silicon nitride (Si₃N₄),oxynitrides (SiON), and combinations thereof. In alternativeembodiments, the gate dielectric 242 may have a multilayer structuresuch as one layer of silicon oxide (e.g., interfacial layer) and anotherlayer of high-k material.

The work function layer(s) 244 over the gate dielectric 242 includeswork function metals to provide a suitable work function for the gatestructures 240. In some embodiments, the work function layer 244 mayinclude one or more n-type work function metals (N-metal) for forming ann-type transistor on the substrate 200. The n-type work function metalsmay exemplarily include, but are not limited to, titanium aluminide(TiAI), titanium aluminium nitride (TiAIN), carbo-nitride tantalum(TaCN), hafnium (Hf), zirconium (Zr), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta),aluminum (Al), metal carbides (e.g., hafnium carbide (HfC), zirconiumcarbide (ZrC), titanium carbide (TiC), aluminum carbide (AlC)),aluminides, and/or other suitable materials. In alternative embodiments,the work function layer 244 may include one or more p-type work functionmetals (P-metal) for forming a p-type transistor on the substrate 200.The p-type work function metals may exemplarily include, but are notlimited to, titanium nitride (TIN), tungsten nitride (WN), tungsten (W),ruthenium (Ru), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni),conductive metal oxides, and/or other suitable materials.

The conductive layer 246 fills a recess in the work function layer 244.The conductive layer 246 may exemplarily include, but are not limitedto, tungsten, aluminum, copper, nickel, cobalt, titanium, tantalum,titanium nitride, tantalum nitride, nickel silicide, cobalt silicide,TaC, TaSiN, TaCN, TiAl, TiAlN, or other suitable materials.

Reference is made to FIG. 21. FIG. 21 is a top cross-sectional view ofFIG. 20 in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.As shown in FIG. 21, end portions 260 of each of the semiconductor fins203A-203F overlaps the gate structures 240 (e.g. overlaps the conductivelayers 246 or gate electrodes). Furthermore, a top profile of each endportion 260 may have a square profile or substantially square in theembodiments of FIG. 21. The region between two end portions 260 of thesame semiconductor fin (e.g. one of the semiconductor fins 203A-203F)may correspond to the source/drain structures 230 shown in FIG. 18.However, the source/drain structures are omitted to simplify the figure.

FIG. 22 shows a top cross-sectional view of FIG. 20 in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 22, a topprofile of each end portion 262 of the semiconductor fins 203A, 203C,203D and 203F which are adjacent to the iso region A2 (FIG. 6) may benon-uniformly etched (e.g. rounded or having different length), but thesemiconductor fins 203A, 203C, 203D and 203F remain overlapping the gatestructures 240 (e.g. overlaps the conductive layers 246 or gateelectrodes). In some embodiments of FIG. 22, the end portions 262 of thesemiconductor fins 203A, 203C, 203D and 203F may have the top profilessuch as those shown in FIG. 13C-FIG. 13F.

FIG. 23 shows a top cross-sectional view of FIG. 20 in accordance withsome embodiments of the present disclosure. In the embodiments of FIG.23, the end portions of the semiconductor fins 203A-203F may have asimilar top profile to that shown in FIG. 21. However, the end portions264 merely overlap the gate spacers 218 on the sidewalls of the gatestructure 240B, but do not overlap the conductive layer 246 of the gatestructure 240B. In this embodiment, the gate structure 240B may bereferred to as a dummy gate structure which is disposed between twofunctional gate structures 240A. The overlap between the dummy gatestructure 240B and the end portion 264 can be implemented to reduce thefacet defects when the epi features are incorporated in the field effecttransistors for strain effect.

A semiconductor device and a method of forming the same are provided inthe present disclosure. A fin cut process using a coating layer toreduce an etching rate of the lateral etching operation is performed, soas to form the semiconductor fins having end portions with a desiredprofile. With the desired profile of the end portions of thesemiconductor fins, larger process windows for the fin formation processand the contact landing process are realized, and better electricalproperty, reliability and yield of the semiconductor device can beachieved.

In some embodiments, a method is provided. The method includes thefollowing operations. First, a fin strip is formed over a semiconductorsubstrate using a hardmask. The fin strip includes a first portion and asecond portion laterally adjoining the first portion. A bottomanti-reflective coating (BARC) layer is formed to cover the fin stripover the substrate. A first etching operation is performed to remove afirst portion of the BARC layer, so as to expose a portion of thehardmask overlying the second portion of the fin strip. A coating layeris deposited over the portion of the hardmask and the BARC layer. Asecond etching operation is performed to remove a portion of the coatinglayer, the portion of the hardmask and a second portion of the BARClayer. A third etching operation is performed to remove the secondportion of the fin strip and a remaining BARC layer, such that the firstportion of the fin strip forms a plurality of semiconductor fins.

In some embodiments, a method is provided. The method includes thefollowing operations. Fin strips are formed over a semiconductorsubstrate using a hardmask, thereby forming trenches each of which isdisposed between two adjacent ones of the fin strips. Each of the finstrips includes a first portion and a second portion laterally adjoiningthe first portion. The trenches include a first trench and a secondtrench having a greater width than the first trench. A bottomanti-reflective coating (BARC) layer is formed in the trenches to coverthe fin strips over the substrate. A first etching operation isperformed to remove a first portion of the BARC layer over the secondportion of the fin strips, so as to expose a portion of the hardmaskoverlying the second portion of the fin strips, such that a top surfaceof the BARC layer in the first trench is lower than a top surface of theBARC layer in the second trench. A coating layer is deposited over theportion of the hardmask and the BARC layer. A second etching operationis performed to remove a portion of the coating layer, the portion ofthe hardmask and a second portion of the BARC layer. A third etchingoperation is performed to remove the first portion of each of the finstrips and a remaining BARC layer, such that the second portion of eachof the fin strips forms semiconductor fins.

In some embodiments, a semiconductor device is provided. Thesemiconductor device includes a substrate, a first semiconductor fin, asecond semiconductor fin and a gate structure crossing the first andsecond semiconductor fins. The second semiconductor fin is disposedadjacent to the first semiconductor fin along an extending direction ofthe first semiconductor fin, and the first semiconductor fin has a firstend portion oppositely spaced apart from a second end portion of thesecond semiconductor fin. The gate structure includes a gate electrodeoverlapping the first end portion and the second end portion.

The foregoing outlines features of several embodiments so that thoseskilled in the art may better understand the aspects of the presentdisclosure. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they mayreadily use the present disclosure as a basis for designing or modifyingother processes and structures for carrying out the same purposes and/orachieving the same advantages of the embodiments introduced herein.Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalentconstructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the presentdisclosure, and that they may make various changes, substitutions, andalterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: forming a fin strip over asemiconductor substrate using a hardmask, wherein the fin stripcomprises a first portion and a second portion laterally adjoining thefirst portion; forming a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) layer tocover the fin strip over the substrate; performing a first etchingoperation to remove a first portion of the BARC layer, so as to expose aportion of the hardmask overlying the second portion of the fin strip;depositing a coating layer over the portion of the hardmask and the BARClayer; performing a second etching operation to remove a portion of thecoating layer, the portion of the hardmask and a second portion of theBARC layer; and performing a third etching operation to remove thesecond portion of the fin strip and a remaining BARC layer, such thatthe first portion of the fin strip forms a plurality of semiconductorfins.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating layer comprises avertical portion and a lateral portion, and the lateral portion isetched faster than the vertical portion during the second etchingoperation.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the coating layer is formedfrom a mixture of carbohydrate polymers and silicon halides.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein a flowrate of precursors of the carbohydratepolymers and a flowrate of precursors of the silicon halides arerespectively greater than 0 to 2000 sccm.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein a thickness of the coating layer is in a range from about 1 nmto about 100 nm.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first etchingoperation is performed such that a top surface of the BARC layer thatadjoins the second portion of the fin strip is lower than a top surfaceof the hardmask but is higher than a top surface of the fin strip. 7.The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing an ash operationafter the third etching operation.
 8. A method, comprising: forming aplurality of fin strips over a semiconductor substrate using a hardmask,thereby forming trenches each of which is disposed between two adjacentones of the fin strips, wherein each of the fin strips comprises a firstportion and a second portion adjoining the first portion along anextending direction of the fin strips, the trenches comprise a firsttrench and a second trench having a greater width than the first trench;forming a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) layer in the trenches tocover the fin strips over the substrate; performing a first etchingoperation to remove a first portion of the BARC layer over the secondportion of the fin strips, so as to expose a portion of the hardmaskoverlying the second portion of the fin strips, such that a top surfaceof the BARC layer in the first trench is lower than a top surface of theBARC layer in the second trench; depositing a coating layer over theportion of the hardmask and the BARC layer; performing a second etchingoperation to remove a portion of the coating layer, the portion of thehardmask and a second portion of the BARC layer; and performing a thirdetching operation to remove the first portion of each of the fin stripsand a remaining BARC layer, such that the second portion of each of thefin strips forms a plurality of semiconductor fins.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein after the second etching operation, the top surfaces ofthe BARC layer in both of the first trench and the second trench arelower than a top surface of each of the fin strips.
 10. The method ofclaim 9, wherein after the second etching operation, the BARC layer inthe first trench adjacent to the first portion of each of the fin stripshas a top surface lower than that in the second trench adjacent to thefirst portion of each of the fin strips.
 11. The method of claim 8,wherein depositing the coating layer comprises introducing an alkylprecursor and an oxygen precursor into a reaction chamber andintroducing a silicon halide precursor and a chlorine precursor into thereaction chamber.
 12. The method of claim 8, wherein after the thirdetching operation, a part of the first portion of each of the fin stripsremains as a protrusion.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein a verticaletching operation is dominantly performed in the second and the thirdetching operations by increasing a bias of the second and the thirdetching operations.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein after the firstetching operation is performed, the BARC layer overlying the secondportion of each of the fin strips has a width which remainssubstantially intact after the second etching operation is performed.15. A method, comprising: forming a plurality of fin strips over asemiconductor substrate using a hardmask, wherein each of the fin stripscomprises first portions and a second portion sandwiched by the firstportions; forming a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) layer to coverthe fin strips over the substrate, wherein the BARC layer comprisesfirst portions and a second portion sandwiched by the first portions;performing a first etching operation to remove the second portion of theBARC layer, so as to expose portions of the hardmask overlying thesecond portions of the fin strips; depositing a coating layer over theportions of the hardmask and the first portions of the BARC layer;performing a second etching operation to remove lateral portions of thecoating layer, the portions of the hardmask and a second portion of theBARC layer, with remaining vertical portions of the coating layer; andperforming a third etching operation to remove the second portions ofthe fin strips, the vertical portions of the coating layer and aremaining BARC layer, such that the first portions of the fin stripsform a plurality of semiconductor fins with end portions.
 16. The methodof claim 15, further comprising: forming a gate structure crossing thesemiconductor fins, wherein the gate structure comprises a gateelectrode overlapping two adjacent end portions of the semiconductorfins.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein a top profile of one or moreof the end portions comprises two straight portions and a connectionportion that connects one of the two straight portion to the other one.18. The method of claim 17, wherein the connection portion is a filletedcorner of a leg of a trapezoid.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein atop profile of one or more of the end portions has a re-entrant angle.20. The method of claim 15, wherein a top profile of one or more of theend portions has an arc portion.